Singaporean Drama Club

Hello. I recently started watching Singapore dramas and find them refreshing. Thank you for creating this. The information in this club is vey resourceful and helpful. I also created a custom Watchlist for Singapore dramas because I intend to watch more of them.  

Emerald Hill - The Little Nyonya Story (2025)

Synopsis: Emerald Hill - The Little Nyonya Story, a spin off to the acclaimed drama, The Little Nyonya is set in feudal times where power is centered around men and hierarchical order is rigid, some women demonstrate remarkable resilience by adapting and breaking out of the confines of their forced domesticity.
 
In a wealthy matriarchal Peranakan family, the destinies of three Nyonya women will intertwine in the midst of family and romantic relationships, creating a complex narrative of twists and turns. Each with their own temperament and desires, will they break free from their fate and turn their lives around or continue on the road set out for them since birth? (Source: MediaCorp) (Trailer)

• Native Title: 小娘惹之翡翠山
• Episodes: 30
• Aired: 10 Mar - 30 Apr 2025
• Duration: 45 minutes
• Content Rating: PG (Parental Guidance - Suitable for all but parents should guide their young)
• Genres: Family, Life, Drama
• Cast: Tasha Low, Chantalle Ng, Zoe Tay, Jesseca Liu, Jeanette Aw, Ferlyn G, Romeo Tan, Shaun Chen, Zhang Ze Tong, Tyler Ten, Sheila Sim, Jojo Goh, Hsiu Chieh-Kai, Dawn Yeoh, Nick Teo, Herman Keh, Zhu Zeliang, Chen Li Ping, Juin Teh, Jernelle Oh, Priscelia Chan, Guo Liang, Desmond Ng, Elvin Ng, Zhai Siming
• Where to watch: MeWatch, Netflix

My first Singaporean drama after an almost 16-month hiatus, amidst hectic schedules. A not-to-be-missed drama if you have watched and liked 2008's The Little Nyonya. 

Set in the 1950s-1980s, this drama centred around a wealthy Peranakan family - Zhang family - who has close friendship with Yue Niang, the protagonist of 2008's The Little Nyonya. Jeanette Aw reprised her role as Yue Niang in this sequel to The Little Nyonya, and she doesn't seemed to have aged much.

This drama scored a few milestones including:

• First Mediacorp Chinese drama with pre-sale distribution agreement with Netflix in Southeast Asia.
• First Mediacorp Chinese drama that shot straight to the top spot on Netflix Singapore overnight.
• Netflix’s #1 title in Singapore for the fourth week since its premiere on 10 March.
• Hitting a record 1.35 million viewers on Mediacorp streaming platform mewatch and free-to-air broadcast service, Channel 8, mid-way through its 30-episode season, making this Mediacorp's most watched drama of the year.

And I can see why, with its gripping plot, strong cast (including the young Xin Niang and Bai Ah Li), spiced with intricate Peranakan costumes, food and culture.

To add, this series is a special line-up by Singapore broadcaster Mediacorp in 2025 to commemorate Singapore's 60th years of independence. Peranakan is an ethnic community in Singapore in the early years. Singapore’s Chinese Peranakans are believed to be descendants of Chinese immigrant traders who married local Malay women or Bataks from Sumatra (source)

Watching this series actually reminds me of another Singaporean drama The Golden Path (黄金路) (2007). If you have watched and enjoyed Emerald Hill, do also watch The Golden Path.

If you have also watched this series, do share your review.